A Wendell priest who was asked to step down temporarily from
active ministry in April following allegations of adult sexual
misconduct has been granted an indefinite medical leave of
absence.

The leave means the Rev. Thomas Watkins will not likely return
to the parish, St. Eugene Catholic Church. Roman Catholic Bishop
F. Joseph Gossman, who granted the leave, said he would appoint a
permanent replacement for Watkins within the next few weeks.

Watkins, 61, could not be reached for comment.

Gossman said that the request came from the priest May 24 and
that he decided to grant it May 29. A formal announcement will be
made Thursday in the "NC Catholic," the diocesan newspaper.

On April 24, Watkins was placed on temporary administrative
leave following allegations he had proposed sex to a seminary
student 26 years ago. The latest allegation is the fourth in
Watkins' case. The diocese knew of three other incidents of
alleged misconduct involving Watkins and adults.

Watkins has denied the allegations raised recently by Richard
Winterich, 45, of Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Winterich said Watkins
betrayed his trust and shattered his self-esteem, leading to
years of therapy for depression, anxiety and alcohol abuse.

As a first-year student at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in
Wickliffe, Ohio, Winterich said Watkins, then a Marianist order
priest, came to his dorm room with a bottle of wine. The second
time, Watkins told him he loved him and asked whether he could
kiss him, Winterich said. Expecting a kiss on the cheek,
Winterich said Watkins kissed him on the lips.

Winterich said the priest then proposed sex. At that point,
Winterich said, he got up, threw a book at Watkins and ordered
him to "get out."

Winterich has hired a lawyer who has been communicating with
the diocese. But Gossman said Tuesday that the investigation of
Watkins will likely be put on hold, because the lawyer, Jeffrey
R. Anderson of St. Paul, Minn., asked the diocese not to contact
Winterich independently.

"We're out of the loop on the investigation," Gossman said.

Watkins was ordained in 1963. In 1990, he applied to become a
priest in the Raleigh diocese. Since then, he has served at Our
Lady of Lourdes in Raleigh, St. Michael's in Cary and St. Francis
de Sales in Lumberton. In 1996, Watkins left the Marianist order
and became a diocesan priest.